Chris Dorman launches a new album — and a new farm

(Tuesday, Oct. 12) In the pastthree years Chris Dorman’s musical adventures have taken him from the east sideof Lansing, creating music with friends, to releasing an album backed by aWho’s Who of Michigan folk artists. He moved to New England to continueprogressing as a musician; the move inspired him to record a just-released secondalbum, "Sita."

At the same time his career was taking Dorman to places henever expected, his family was doing the same thing. Despite investing threeyears into an agriculture program at Michigan State University, Dorman’spartner, Corey, decided to apply for a teaching position at Sterling College inVermont. When she received the job offer, the young family packed up and headedeast.

“I was just picking up strides with my music career inMichigan and we were having a really good time, living in a nice neighborhood.But when she got the job, we thought it all through and decided to go for theadventure,” Dorman said, explaining the move to Vermont was only the beginningof a new and exciting lifestyle.

“A week before we moved we found out there was anopportunity to buy a farm through the Vermont land trust.”

That opportunity turned out to be the Bread and Butter Farm,a working and educational endeavor run by Chris, Corey and two of theirfriends.

“It’s a bakery and a raw milk dairy. We’re producing creamyear round. We also have pigs for pork,” Dorman said.

“The educational aspect will be focused on land-basededucation and music education. We’ll have a musical concert series and a musicfestival in the future as well. So we’re really just trying to build acommunity farm, a working farm and a place that will be able support multiplefamilies in the future.”

That will be on hold for a while at least, while Dormantravels back to Michigan to help support families in another way: through hismusic.

On Sunday, Sept. 17, he will stop by Gone Wired Caf (2021E. Michigan Ave.) to play a show for children and those who remain children atheart.

“It’s going to be an hour of stories and songs and funnyantics to get the kids laughing. We’ll do a lot of sing-alongs of familiartunes, you know: ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ and all the classics, mixed inwith some originals that I’ve written with kids in mind.

“I wouldn’t have thought to do that until I had my own kid.Kids love music of all kinds, so I’ll be playing some of my original tunesintended for adults as well.”

Dorman’s original material includes the new song “Magnolia,”a tune inspired by nearby Magnolia Avenue, where his son Henry was born and hisfamily began to grow, and “Family Farm,” a track about being tied to the land,both physically and spiritually.

The idea of playing a show for younger fans is nothing newto Dorman, who recently appeared on a children’s album assembled by the EarthWork Music Collective.

“I wrote a lullaby for Henry, played the hammered dulcimerand sang that on that album,” he said. “We had intention behind the songs wewrote, not wanting to dumb down our music. (Children) can really absorb as muchas we give them.”

Dorman mentioned he loves the recent trend of musicianswriting children’s songs that treat children like the intelligent people theyare.

The stop at Gone Wired is one of eight shows Dorman will bedoing in Michigan before heading back to his new home in Vermont, where hehopes to continue progressing his music and building both his family and hisfarm.